Hurricane Katrina is a punishment of God following U.S. President George W. Bush’s support for the Gaza Strip and northern West Bank pullout, prominent Israel Rabbi, Ovadia Yosef, said in comments published on Wednesday.

According to Ynetnews, in his weekly sermon, the rabbi said: “There was a tsunami and there are terrible natural disasters, because there isn’t enough Torah study… black people reside there (in New Orleans). Blacks will study the Torah? (God said) let’s bring a tsunami and drown them.”

“Hundreds of thousands remained homeless. Tens of thousands have been killed. All of this because they have no God,” said the rabbi, who in the past also voiced racist comments against Arabs and Muslims.

“Bush was behind the (evacuation of) Gush Katif (Gaza Strip),” he said. “He encouraged Sharon to expel Gush Katif…we had 15,000 people expelled here, and there 150,000 (were expelled). It was God’s retribution ..God does not short-change anyone.”

“He (Bush) perpetrated the expulsion. Now everyone is mad at him…this is his punishment for what he did to Gush Katif, and everyone else who did as he told them, their time will come, too,” the rabbi said.